King Alfred School – an Academy’s headteacher, Nathan Jenkins, is determined to improve standards having succeeded Denise Hurr in the summer.

He has ambitious plans ahead for the academy in Highbridge, which received an inadequate Oftsted rating last year.

The new headteacher has revealed plans for a million-pound roof replacement, a new toilet block and a state-of-the-art Jill Dando News Centre – which will be similar to the ones at Worle and Priory schools.

Mr Jenkins had more than 20 years of experience teaching at schools in Wales and Bristol before coming to Somerset.

Mr Jenkins said: “This academy is at the heart of the community and I am looking forward to making a difference here by raising people’s aspirations and expectations.

“I have previously taught at schools in special measures and have enjoyed the challenge which comes along with it.

“I am really pleased I took on the headteacher’s role – and I know we will start to see some real change taking shape here in the coming months.”

The school became part of The Priory Learning Trust (PLT) earlier this month, and a new curriculum will now be put into place at the newly formed academy.

Its students, who are now under the Priory umbrella, have been promised more opportunities in the form of shared facilities and careers advice.

Mr Jenkins added: “The more professionals who are involved in our academy’s teaching the better – because what the schools in Weston and Worle have, we can now offer to our students as well.”

Nine hundred blazers were sold across the summer holidays with the updated logo and King Alfred’s academy status printed on them, which Mr Jenkins did not make compulsory this year.

Work on the news centre began earlier this week and it will be the third to be named after the reporter who started her career at the Mercury but was murdered in 1999.

The planned roof works are not set to interrupt learning time and the academy is also considering creating a wall art project, which would be displayed on the science block’s building.

An opening date is yet to be confirmed for the centre which students can expect to start using after the half-term break.